220 too small???

[tyhuck]

Then I began mocking up the engine bay with an empty engine case from my parts wheeler. It could have been done with the good engine, but it would be much harder because of the weight. Anyhow, the first picture shows how the frame will interfere with the motor. Remember, the engine has to be offset to center the output shaft so it will line up with the modded axel (it will all become clear later if its not already). The second picture shows the frame section removed, and the third shows the frame section relocated 4 1/4" forward. The last 2 are just closeups of the reworked frame. I will grind the welds down and add some reinforcement plates to the sides, just in case.

[tyhuck]

Then we took the axel off the wheeler and mocked it into place to give a visual of how far the tires will stick out. Not a bad fit, and the shocks line up perfectly with the frame rails. Obviously the other side isn't the same yet, but once the axel mods are done it will look the same on the driver side too.

[tyhuck]

Last picture I have is of the rocker rails going back on. Again, disregard the front suspension. Its just standing there at the moment.

[smokindawg]

Looking good with the progress........ You'll get there.

[Unforgiven]

I think 8 is the magic number. I went 10 and that was to much.

[tyhuck]

Originally Posted by Unforgiven

I think 8 is the magic number. I went 10 and that was to much.

8"?

[tyhuck]

OK, more updates. Got the rear axel modded. Took the old right side axel shaft and tube and replaced the shorter left side. It was a challenge for a couple of reasons. one, I had to get as many of the holes to line up as possible to reduce the amount of new holes I had to drill and the amount of old holes I had to fill. Second, I had to make the brake drum backing plates line up so that the brake levers would line up so that they both could be used. Ended up lining it up so that 4 of the 6 holes lined up and the brakes line up almost perfectly. Drilled the 2 new holes, then mig welded the old holes closed and ground the welds down. Everything lined up great, so I cut off and ground the old suspension mounting hardware and the trailer hitch tab off, since none of it lined up remotely in the right direction. Got he brake and the axel mocked in using the old hardware from the short axel tube. Still need to get a new bearing and seal for that side. Even though the factory suspension will line up with the frame rails, Im kinda playing with the idea of using some leaf springs. Its either fabricate all new bracketry for the driver side to utilize the factory control arms, or cut the other brackets off the passenger side and weld on a spring perch. Decisions, decisions.

But, now I have an axel with a 48" track width. Only problem I can foresee, the differential is locked, basically a spool, so I hope it doesn't bind enough to break something when turning.

[tyhuck]

I also got the front engine mounts tacked into place, so the engine is a hopefully a day or so away from being solid mounted. Got plenty of clearance with the frame mods, and hopefully after a skid plate is mounted, I will have around 10" of ground clearance at the lowest point. Now you can start to see the basic wheelbase and stance of the project.

[ironmonkey17]

tyhuck that is some really nice fab work, and the pictures are great, I can see these pictures popping up for years to come, the guys will be looking for info on how to do this type of build just like a few of the other great builds on here.. keep up the great work and keep the pics coming, makes me want to start all over. again Nice Job, can't wait to see more.

[tyhuck]

Thanks man. Fabricating and making the engine fit is the easy part from what I can tell. The tough part is making all the little details work. Got a lot of it figured out though. I have an idea of how to get the brakes working, possibly both front and rear. I have a couple ideas on how to get the throttle hooked up, but I still have some thinking to do on the choke cable because she wont run cold hardly at all. Electronics are gonna be left as close to factory as possible so that shouldn't be a hassle. Only thing that might catch me up is the fuel system, since mine is originally gravity fed. I also need to figure out a fuel tank. The shifter might also take a while. I have it kinda planned out, so hopefully it won be too bad, just take some time to get right.

Gonna look something like this when done, but more awesome. This was my first build.